This paper provides a discussion and summary of the performance of Wafflemat ® slabs on grade. The discussion contained herein is based upon studies performed by the geotechnical firm of Purcell Rhoades & Associates (ref. 1), as well as observations of the performance of installed Wafflemat foundations (Appendices A-D) over a 15-year period. VIEW NOW

Step 1: Determine the number of 8.5 inch or 12 inch Waffleboxes in the foundation.
Step 2: Determine volume of concrete in foundation if there were no Waffleboxes.
Step 3: Take the number of 8.5 inch Waffleboxes from Step 1 and divide by 16.04, or the number of 12 inch Waffleboxes from Step 1 and divide by 11.36. The result is the number of cubic yards of void space occupied by the Waffleboxes.
Step 4: Take the cubic yards in Step 2 and subtract the cubic yards in Step 3. The result is the number of cubic yards of concrete in the Wafflemat foundation. VIEW NOW

Use of the Wafflemat System in residential home construction can reduce the level of climate change emissions by 20% [the equivalent of 4 to 9 tons less CO 2 released into the atmosphere per home] when compared to the use of conventional slab foundations. Other emissions reductions are also projected. VIEW NOW

As the Western USA struggles with one of the most severe droughts on record, new use practices must be put into action by individuals, governments, and businesses. In the construction industry, the tasks of over-excavating, recompacting, and presoaking foundation pads in preparation for building utilize more water than any other part of the building cycle. VIEW NOW

The scope of this document is to provide guidance in the design, specification, and installation of Void Space Systems under residential, commercial, light industrial, and civil structure foundations, typically called lightly loaded foundations, which are built on expansive soil. VIEW NOW

UTF and In-ground foundations will not absorb any of the upward forces generated by expansive soil that exceed the total gravity load of the soil cap, foundation, and structure. These foundations are in full contact with the soil. Above the equilibrium point for all vertical loads, these foundations will move upward. VIEW NOW

The development strategy created by Century 22 Communities is based on the belief that a home, and its surrounding community, should be designed and constructed to last 100 years. In order to achieve the 100-year sustainability goal, C22C has gone to great lengths to analyze and re-design all the systems and components of a typical home to improve the reliability and reduce life-cycle cost. VIEW NOW

If a project is planned from the beginning to use a Wafflemat foundation, site development is no more complicated than with any other type of foundation. In fact, because a Wafflemat foundation sits higher above the graded pad height than either ribbed or uniform-thickness slabs, street and curb heights can be elevated an additional 6 to 8 inches, resulting in significantly reduced costs for excavation and the off-haul of spoils. VIEW NOW

The current trend for the Residential (single and multi-family) housing market in Colorado: foundations once constructed on Post Tensioned-Slabs (ribbed and California-Type slabs) with the new requirements for specifying design values are becoming so cost prohibitive that builders in the Denver market are looking at going back to conventional foundation types (grade beams supported on piers or footings) with wood floors at the main level. VIEW NOW

The current trend for the Residential (single and multi-family) housing market in Colorado: foundations once constructed on Post-Tensioned Slabs (ribbed and California-Type slabs) with the new requirements for specifying design values are becoming so cost prohibitive that builders in the Denver market are looking at going back to conventional foundation types (grade beams supported on piers or footings) with wood floors at the main level. VIEW NOW